Please Read: RoadTest Program Change #2

I think a week is enough, for a selected reviewer to respond.

If you're not going to be arround at the time the submissions close then perhaps dont apply in the first place and let someone else have a chance.

If you really are keen, perhaps because it is an expensive test equipment, send an email to the review owner and tell them you're away and when you will be back to answer.

To be honest how many of us techies these days dont have some access to email, even when on a multi week holiday. If you're that keen, find a way!

Accommodations could be made in some situations im sure. That's the whole point here, communications and clarity of intent.

I think a week is enough, for a selected reviewer to respond.

If you're not going to be arround at the time the submissions close then perhaps dont apply in the first place and let someone else have a chance.

If you really are keen, perhaps because it is an expensive test equipment, send an email to the review owner and tell them you're away and when you will be back to answer.

To be honest how many of us techies these days dont have some access to email, even when on a multi week holiday. If you're that keen, find a way!

Accommodations could be made in some situations im sure. That's the whole point here, communications and clarity of intent.

Even now its not clear for all road tests when the final selection will be. For most its about one week after the submissions close, so you know that you will need to be able to respond during that time. But for some there is no defined date, so its difficult to know beforehand. Also, plans sometimes change. When you apply for a test right at the start, there is one month left until the final submission. That is plenty of time for employers to send you on a road trip, lose your phone or whatever.

And even though we are techies this doesn't mean we should be slaves of our phones and computers. Its quite relaxing to sometimes turn them off. During this years summer vacation there won't be internet for our son, and so no internet for me. We parents should be role models, at least sometimes...

Hendrik,

From what I can tell, the 1-month enrollment, 1-week selection and 60-day roadtest was the ideal goal for the timeline. But it was theory, not reality. I have to order the parts and then I have to ship them. Sometimes the suppliers don't get back to me for weeks. It's not like a triggering a circuit to cause it to turn on an off. I interact with people with a varying set of priorities. I would like to change to notion that 1mo/1wk/60days is the standard. I really think the enrollment period should be long enough to find people who really want to test the product and do it well and want to write about it. I also think that the 60-day roadtest period is too long for some products and not long enough for other products. But given the changes occurring, I'm going to stick with the established timeline.

I am wondering if you are misunderstanding what I have put forth in #2 when you say "even though we are techies this doesn't mean we should be slaves of our phones and computers." Slaves? Really? Isn't that a stretch or are you using hyperbole to make your point. Look at this scenario:

I am ready to ship out the roadtest parts. And I privately message that I am sending them out. and I get no response by the RoadTester. I contact him after a few days. Should I send them out? What would you do? Likewise, I sent my additional questions to a roadtester and he has not responded in two weeks. And then I see he hasn't logged on since January. (I also saw that this one was a university student. So I wondered if he had graduated?) Do I keep waiting for him? Or do I move onto other applicants who are responsive and have placed the element14 Community as a regular part of their life so they check in at least once a week?

As far as being in contact during vacation time. Well, I am taking a few days off this week and next. I have notified people that need to know about my availability. I think most people do that. So, if you are on summer vacation and I can't get in touch with you, what should I do?

I decided I will stick with the 1-week time period for now. I will attempt to notify Roadtesters through more than 1 channel. If this doesn't solve the problem, I'll have to modify it. Now, it's back to work for me.

Cheers.

Randall

PS I have noticed that you have been a great RoadTester. I appreciate your efforts.

1) the 'slaves to our phones' comment was to Robert Peter Oakes who said that we techies surely always have access to our email, and I think this isn't necessarily true.

2) when you expect a timely response from the road testers, you also need to tell them beforehand _when_ this will happen. See my example with the KeySight road test - when there is a possible timespan of multiple weeks or even month, should anybody to whom it _might_ happen that they won't be available not apply then?

3) when I apply for a road test because I'm really interested in it, and there is no defined date for when the finalists are chosen (so I might need to response to the questionnaire), and no defined date for when the kits will be send out, I probably will state in my application the time when I will not respond as quickly as you might expect. In the case you really need to reach me during that time, I would _hope_ that you take that into consideration and don't skip as fast as you might do otherwise. Yes, I would try to be reachable during that time. I would also understand when I'm not selected because of that, but I would be very unhappy.

4) I think it kind a case-by-case decision, just as it is when somebody doesn't write a timely review: when its a first-time road tester, you probably skip earlier than when its an active member of the community and a tester which had proven in the past to write great reviews, and normally responds quickly.

5) I'm fine with that 1 week grace time. Its actually quite generous. But please also keep your side clean and make sure everybody knows beforehand what is expected, and _when_ its expected (so please add the missing dates to the Keysight road test And I was not complaining that the 1 month enrollment period is too long, I just wanted to point out that between the date of application and the date the tester actually get their kit there can easily be three months. For many people this is a long time to plan for in advance. Who knows which other great road test come up during this time?

6) Thanks. I just like to stick to my commitments. I think this is very helpful in life

Hendrik,

I hope to keep my side clean! As for the missing dates on the Keysight RoadTest:

Enrollment Begins: Mar 2, 2017

Enrollment Ends: Apr 7, 2017

RoadTesters Selected: TBD

Product Shipped: TBD

RoadTesting Begins: TBD

Status Reminder/Update Email: TBD*

Submit Reviews By: TBD

The bolded ones are all I know for now. The supplier selects the official winners and I can't always predict when they will select them. Most of the other dates depend on the supplier. I am ordering parts much earlier now. So I hope to eliminate any delays there.

But it's not a perfect system. I'll try my best.

Randall